Saint Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary in USA welcomes the New Students from Ukraine

ST. SOPHIA UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

On January 28, a big event happened at Saint Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary – four new students arrived from Ukraine. Before their arrival, the seminary as a whole was preparing for their arrival. The seminarians along with help from His Grace Bishop Daniel, Mr. Petro Rudyy (Facilities Manager) and Pan Vasyl, Pan Volodymyr, and the Pasakas Family renovated and cleaned the seminary building. The third floor and staircase, which includes students’ residences and a bathroom, were renovated and repainted. Everyone worked very diligently for a month in preparation for the arrival of the new students. On the 28th, His Grace Bishop Daniel returned to New Jersey with the four new students: Taras Kaluzny, Yurii Bobko, Tadey Surak, and Ihor Protsak.

One of the seminarians is Ihor Protsak. He is from Lvivska Oblast in the city of Chervonograd. He is 20 years old and has completed Buchach Kolegia of Saint Josaphat. Ihor also studied for 3 years at Lvivska Theological Academy and sang in their choir. He completed music school and during his studies there he received many awards for his talent in singing. The choir often traveled throughout Ukraine and he traveled along with it. He served as an altar boy for 13 years. Ihor enjoys a lot of hobbies some are fishing, working out, tennis, and soccer.

Another seminarian is Tadey Surak. He is 22 years old. Tadey is from Ivano-Frankivska oblast, Pochenski Raion, in the village Svarichevyi. He served an altar boy in his village. He attended music school for three years where he also played the violin. He graduated from the National University of Wood-Technology and Kolomyskyi College. He enjoys playing and watching soccer, working out, and listening to music.

Another new seminarian is Taras Kaluzhny. He is from the city of Lviv. He is 23 years old. Taras studied at a seminary in Lviv for three years and was also a subdeacon for Metropolitan Makariya. He also graduated from the Lviv National University of Communication and Electronics. In his free time he likes to participate in different sports and enjoys traveling.

The last seminarian to arrive is Yurii Bobko. He is 19 years old and is from Ternopel. He studied at Volynska Theological Seminary for three years. While at the seminary he sang in the choir. Since his childhood he has wanted to become a priest. During his free time he enjoys reading various books and discovering something new.

On January 29, all the seminarians travelled with Bishop Daniel to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The students learned about the old immigration to the United States and how uncomfortable the travel was on a boat back then. Immigrants left their homes, packed their lives into one suitcase and travelled to a new land. They took many pictures of their trip and purchased souvenir’s to remember their visit. Everyone was impressed and satisfied with the trip.

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